Sucked in stomach

[Reaper_Six_Four]

So I noticed my Cardinal Blenny has a sucked in belly. While feeding him, it looks like he’s searching for food but doesn’t actually eat.
All my parameters are good and all other fish are acting normal. He’s been in my tank over 2 months

 

[AydenLincoln]

He could be starving or have internal parasites. I’m leaning towards internal parasites. Let’s ask the #fishmedics @Jay Hemdal

 

[Jay Hemdal]

This is pretty common in pelagic blennies. I wrote about it here:

Skinny Blenny issue

Skinny blennies: Midas blennies are much more difficult to maintain than their common presence in the pet trade would have you believe. They are very prone to starvation. It is unknown if this is due to not feeding them often enough, not feeding enough, feeding the wrong foods, or if internal...

www.reef2reef.com

Sorry, I don’t have a solution for you though. Once they get this skinny, there is generally no bringing them back.

Jay

 

[Reaper_Six_Four]

He could be starving or have internal parasites. I’m leaning towards internal parasites. Let’s ask the #fishmedics @Jay Hemdal

He initially would hunt down tank worms (spaghetti and small bristle worms)

 

[Reaper_Six_Four]

This is pretty common in pelagic blennies. I wrote about it here:

Skinny Blenny issue

Skinny blennies: Midas blennies are much more difficult to maintain than their common presence in the pet trade would have you believe. They are very prone to starvation. It is unknown if this is due to not feeding them often enough, not feeding enough, feeding the wrong foods, or if internal...

www.reef2reef.com

Sorry, I don’t have a solution for you though. Once they get this skinny, there is generally no bringing them back.

Jay

 

[Reaper_Six_Four]

This is pretty common in pelagic blennies. I wrote about it here:

Skinny Blenny issue

Skinny blennies: Midas blennies are much more difficult to maintain than their common presence in the pet trade would have you believe. They are very prone to starvation. It is unknown if this is due to not feeding them often enough, not feeding enough, feeding the wrong foods, or if internal...

www.reef2reef.com

Sorry, I don’t have a solution for you though. Once they get this skinny, there is generally no bringing them back.

Jay

Thank you for your insight. I’m pretty bummed out I didn’t adequately find this earlier.
So from what it sounds like, he’s pretty much on his way out? I didn’t think anything was wrong since all my other guys were thriving (lawnmower is a fatty).
Nonetheless, thank you.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Thank you for your insight. I’m pretty bummed out I didn’t adequately find this earlier.
So from what it sounds like, he’s pretty much on his way out? I didn’t think anything was wrong since all my other guys were thriving (lawnmower is a fatty).
Nonetheless, thank you.

Once they stop feeding, I just don’t know of a way to turn them around, sorry.
Jay

 

[Reaper_Six_Four]

Once they stop feeding, I just don’t know of a way to turn them around, sorry.
Jay

Best course of action (subjective in nature, I know) ? Recommend euthanasia? I don’t know if he’s suffering or I am more.

 

[vetteguy53081]

So I noticed my Cardinal Blenny has a sucked in belly. While feeding him, it looks like he’s searching for food but doesn’t actually eat.
All my parameters are good and all other fish are acting normal. He’s been in my tank over 2 months

Ouch- this fish may be headed to state of moribund and likely not recover unless very enticed to eat in which may be too late. Like Midas blennies, these are prone to starvation and loss of energy. Often fatty foods such as Mysis shrimp help - that is when theyre eating
Sad to see fish reach this point

 

[jabberwock]

I have euthanized fish before, and dogs, and cats, gerbils and squirrels. It sucks. My recommendation is that if you feel strongly that there is no hope and the animal is suffering is that you should do what you can to end it humanely.

You have my sympathy.

 

[Reaper_Six_Four]

Ouch- this fish may be headed to state of moribund and likely not recover unless very enticed to eat in which may be too late. Like Midas blennies, these are prone to starvation and loss of energy. Often fatty foods such as Mysis shrimp help - that is when theyre eating
Sad to see fish reach this point

Yeah, very sad to see this. I feel horrible that I didn’t catch this a whole lot sooner.

 

[Reaper_Six_Four]

I have euthanized fish before, and dogs, and cats, gerbils and squirrels. It sucks. My recommendation is that if you feel strongly that there is no hope and the animal is suffering is that you should do what you can to end it humanely.

You have my sympathy.

Thank you.

 

[jabberwock]

Yeah, very sad to see this. I feel horrible that I didn’t catch this a whole lot sooner.

When I married my wife 20 years ago, she had 3 dogs and a cat, and I had 1 dog and a cat. We put down 6 animals in the first 5 years of our marriage. It is a sad fact about pets that we generally outlive them. Hang in there.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Best course of action (subjective in nature, I know) ? Recommend euthanasia? I don’t know if he’s suffering or I am more.

Yes, if you’ve tried multiple food items and all were rejected, I do think it is time to consider euthanasia, sorry.
Jay

 

[Reaper_Six_Four]

Yes, if you’ve tried multiple food items and all were rejected, I do think it is time to consider euthanasia, sorry.
Jay

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Sorry, your last post was blank, if you were asking about how to euthanize a fish, here is some text I wrote on the subject:

Preferred methods for euthanasia

MS-222
Every aquarist should have a plan for specimen euthanasia before they need to employ it. An overdose of buffered Tricaine methane sulfonate (MS-222) is the preferred method for euthanizing fish. Dosing at a rate of greater than 300 mg/l MS-222 along with 300 mg/l sodium bicarbonate is effective for euthanizing fish within 30 minutes. However, MS-222 is expensive, and not readily available in smaller quantities to home aquarists. Removing the fish too soon from the solution may allow it to recover. It is therefore suggested to leave the fish in a small amount of the euthanizing solution, and freeze it for later disposal.

Clove oil (eugenol)
One product that aquarists can buy that is approved by at least some veterinarians and research biologists is clove oil, also called eugenol. A dose of 50 mg/l is usually sufficient in euthanizing fish. This equates to about 0.20 ml of eugenol in one gallon of aquarium water.

Because eugenol does not mix well with water, and because larger volumes are easier for hobbyists to measure out, it can be dosed using the following method:

1) Add 2 ml of eugenol to 100 ml of tank water in a sealed container and shake it vigorously.

2) Add 10 ml of this suspended solution to each gallon of water needed to euthanize the fish.

3) Place the fish in this solution and keep it covered to prevent it from jumping out and to help keep it calm.

4) Wait at least twenty minutes after it stops breathing, and then remove the fish from the solution and freeze it for later disposal.


Other methods
A variety of other methods have been proposed for the euthanasia of fishes, but none are fully accepted by veterinary experts. Still, home aquarists need more common tools to use, so those methods are listed here in roughly descending order of suitability:


Ethanol
Regular alcohol at a dose of 25 ml per liter will cause respiratory collapse and death in fishes within 30 minutes. The trouble is that alcohol is not available in pure form unless it has been “denatured” by the addition of distasteful chemicals such as turpentine. Vodka is about 40% alcohol by volume, so using it 62 ml per liter will give an effective dose.


Decapitation/pithing
Cutting a fish’s spinal cord, right behind the head, is a quick method of euthanasia that is approved for use in food fishes (where the use of chemicals would otherwise make the flesh unfit to eat). The issue is really that the method is distasteful for most people to do, so it is rarely used by aquarists. However, it is quick and effective.


Freezing
Placing the affected fish in a small amount of aquarium water in a sealed container and then placing the container in a freezer is a euthanasia technique used by some people. However, it is slow to work, so it is not considered humane. Its appeal as a method is that the fish is “out of sight” so people feel more detached from the process.


An option of last resort
The animals in your aquariums are completely reliant on you for proper care. It is your responsibility to see to it that their lives in captivity are humane as possible and that all of their needs are met. If you cannot meet their needs, please find someone who is more able. Euthanasia should be considered only for health reasons, not because it is no longer convenient to care for an animal.


Jay

 

[eqbal9947]

Thank you for your insight. I’m pretty bummed out I didn’t adequately find this earlier.
So from what it sounds like, he’s pretty much on his way out? I didn’t think anything was wrong since all my other guys were thriving (lawnmower is a fatty).
Nonetheless, thank you.

youll see my moments in other thread, but I had the same issue. Even with the sunken stomach, he ate ALOT but one day decided not to eat and withered away until I euthanized it.

It was so weak that it didn't even move when I grabbed in from the tank and when i was handling it.
Really crappy feeling and process but better than slowly dying.

 

[Reaper_Six_Four]

youll see my moments in other thread, but I had the same issue. Even with the sunken stomach, he ate ALOT but one day decided not to eat and withered away until I euthanized it.

It was so weak that it didn't even move when I grabbed in from the tank and when i was handling it.
Really crappy feeling and process but better than slowly dying.

yeah, he smells the mysis I put in there and looks like he’s out for the hunt but just swims past it….

 

[Reaper_Six_Four]

Sorry, your last post was blank, if you were asking about how to euthanize a fish, here is some text I wrote on the subject:

Preferred methods for euthanasia

MS-222
Every aquarist should have a plan for specimen euthanasia before they need to employ it. An overdose of buffered Tricaine methane sulfonate (MS-222) is the preferred method for euthanizing fish. Dosing at a rate of greater than 300 mg/l MS-222 along with 300 mg/l sodium bicarbonate is effective for euthanizing fish within 30 minutes. However, MS-222 is expensive, and not readily available in smaller quantities to home aquarists. Removing the fish too soon from the solution may allow it to recover. It is therefore suggested to leave the fish in a small amount of the euthanizing solution, and freeze it for later disposal.

Clove oil (eugenol)
One product that aquarists can buy that is approved by at least some veterinarians and research biologists is clove oil, also called eugenol. A dose of 50 mg/l is usually sufficient in euthanizing fish. This equates to about 0.20 ml of eugenol in one gallon of aquarium water.

Because eugenol does not mix well with water, and because larger volumes are easier for hobbyists to measure out, it can be dosed using the following method:

1) Add 2 ml of eugenol to 100 ml of tank water in a sealed container and shake it vigorously.

2) Add 10 ml of this suspended solution to each gallon of water needed to euthanize the fish.

3) Place the fish in this solution and keep it covered to prevent it from jumping out and to help keep it calm.

4) Wait at least twenty minutes after it stops breathing, and then remove the fish from the solution and freeze it for later disposal.


Other methods
A variety of other methods have been proposed for the euthanasia of fishes, but none are fully accepted by veterinary experts. Still, home aquarists need more common tools to use, so those methods are listed here in roughly descending order of suitability:


Ethanol
Regular alcohol at a dose of 25 ml per liter will cause respiratory collapse and death in fishes within 30 minutes. The trouble is that alcohol is not available in pure form unless it has been “denatured” by the addition of distasteful chemicals such as turpentine. Vodka is about 40% alcohol by volume, so using it 62 ml per liter will give an effective dose.


Decapitation/pithing
Cutting a fish’s spinal cord, right behind the head, is a quick method of euthanasia that is approved for use in food fishes (where the use of chemicals would otherwise make the flesh unfit to eat). The issue is really that the method is distasteful for most people to do, so it is rarely used by aquarists. However, it is quick and effective.


Freezing
Placing the affected fish in a small amount of aquarium water in a sealed container and then placing the container in a freezer is a euthanasia technique used by some people. However, it is slow to work, so it is not considered humane. Its appeal as a method is that the fish is “out of sight” so people feel more detached from the process.


An option of last resort
The animals in your aquariums are completely reliant on you for proper care. It is your responsibility to see to it that their lives in captivity are humane as possible and that all of their needs are met. If you cannot meet their needs, please find someone who is more able. Euthanasia should be considered only for health reasons, not because it is no longer convenient to care for an animal.


Jay

Thank you sir.

 

[Reaper_Six_Four]

He was put down today. thank you for your help. He was suffering